


The World Is Still Beautiful

by Anru



Category: DCU (Comics), Justice League - All Media Types, Superman - All Media Types, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Dad Clark, F/M, Female on Male Abuse, Gen, Misunderstandings, Mom Lois
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-31
Updated: 2018-04-27
Packaged: 2018-09-13 14:14:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 20,608
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9127303
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Anru/pseuds/Anru
Summary: After being betrayed by M'gann, all Conner wanted to do was let things lie and put it behind him. Unfortunately things are never that simple.





	1. Chapter 1

Summary: S2 AU! When he broke up with her, all Conner wanted to do was to keep M'gann's abuse a secret and let things lie. But it seems everyone else just can't seem to forgive him for breaking her heart.

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter One: Endings

* * *

"I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry," M'gann repeated like a mantra as her eyes turned back from bright green to its normal brown.

Conner blinked away stars as he picked himself up from the floor of her bedroom. His head was pounding from the effects of the unexpected psychic attack she had just unleashed. He forcefully pushed away the false memory she had tried to implant to replace the past few minutes away, vanishing from his mind as quickly as it entered.

"I'msorry i'msorry," she continued. The martian made herself as small possible while she clutched her arms tightly,. Considering the vast range of her power set, it was a good possibility she had actually shrunk. "It was an accident! I swear, Conner. I didn't mean to." Tears were falling freely from the green girl now. "You have to believe me. I love you. You know that, right?"

Conner _did_ know that.

He just knew at that moment it didn't matter anymore.

* * *

It was nearly four at the morning and lightly snowing by the time Conner made his way to the penthouse apartment of the Kents with Wolf and Sphere at his side. He could have used the zeta beams to make the trip between the two locations instantly. But the ride on the super-cycle halfway across the country had helped clear the muddling thoughts running through his head. He tried desperately not to think of the fact that the team was still probably still off quelling riots in the middle of Northern Rhelasia, leaving M'gann all alone in the mountain that had been their home together for so long. Landing the super cycle on their balcony, Conner pulled his key and slid the door open.

Wolf bounded for a comfy spot on the couch while Sphere transformed back to her more compact form, beeping quietly as she rolled around the living room looking for a perfect place to rest.

Clark was probably out saving cats from trees at the moment or talking kids off of ledges and from the sounds of snoring lightly filtering in from the other room Lois had already turned in for the night. He walked as quietly as possible to the room that they had given him five years prior and entered.

He passed out as soon as he touched the pillow.

He awoke up to the scent of something burning and a string of colorful curses that he had never even heard before. It seemed Lois despite her better judgement must have attempted to cook something again. The previous night was completely fresh in his brain, leaving him still numb from the shock that a five year relationship could simply disappear in a single night. Briefly, he once again wondered what M'gann was doing right now back at the mountain and if the team had returned by now. But he brushed the thought away as quickly as it came once more with a hard swallow. She had made her choice about what she had wanted last night. He changed into some of the spare clothes he had lying around and made his way to the kitchen where he saw the tell tale figure of his young, step mother standing over the stove top. She was wearing indigo blouse and jeans today and her long, dark hair was tied into a ponytail.

Lois Lane-Kent had been the very first person Clark had introduced Conner to when he had accepted that New Years eve. Due to the fact that kryptonians and humans were unable to have children together, she had instantly adopted the Kryptonian clone as her own the moment she saw him, demanding he move in with them that instant while Clark and he were in the midst of defining their relationship. She had proudly presented him to all her friends and acquaintances as her step-son. She was a warm, caring woman that Conner wouldn't trade for the world.

But the woman couldn't cook to save her life.

Her lack of skill was almost miraculous. Despite years of attempts, Conner was certain that the woman could burn water if she wasn't properly supervised.

"This pan is broken," Lois complained when she saw the Kryptonian enter the room as she pulled a burning pan off the stovetop and into the sink. She turned on the faucets and plumes of smoke and steam came from the ruined pan.

"Oh yeah?" he asked wryly.

"I wanted to make some eggs for my precious little son," Lois explained. "Even I can make eggs."

"I believe you," Conner assured her without a hint of sincerity. The inability of Lois' cooking was far too ingrained in him to make a proper attempt at patronizing her.

"Of course you don't." Lois sighed in disappointment as she got a new pan from the dish rack. "Nobody does. _I_ can make eggs."

Taking initiative to make breakfast before Lois accidentally burnt the apartment down; Conner grabbed the fresh pan out of her hands and asked Lois to pass the bacon, eggs and fruit. The reporter opened the fridge and passed the frozen package sullenly. "Turkey bacon?" he asked reading the title on the package. It was an uncharacteristically health conscious decision for the reporter.

"Doctor's orders. He's worried about me and banned the regular kind. Almost made me give up coffee too. All this stuff is supposed to make me live longer but at what cost? You know?"

With a shrug he turned his attention back to making breakfast, occasionally asking the now defeated reporter to grab something for him . Conner rarely cooked out of habit. Despite the encyclopedic knowledge about food and cooking that he had been given by the Genomorphs that could give many chefs envy; he had always let M'gann take over the kitchen. Her passion in cooking had always dwarfed his, even though she wasn't most experienced. Shaking his head, he pushed thoughts of the green girl away. After twenty minutes, he placed several strips of turkey bacon, fresh orange juice, a fruit salad and a cheese omelette on a plate in front of Lois sitting in the kitchen table with her arms crossed and a plate of meat and fruit in front of Wolf. The reporter lowered her head to plate level, as if examining it for a possible trick that Conner had used without her noticing.

"Where's Dad?" he asked, wondering when the older Kryptonian would make his appearance.

"He and Flash are dealing with a mudslide with Markovia. Some teenage meta triggered it." Lois said before taking a particularly large bite of one of the pieces of bacon. She blinked in surprise, examining the piece closely as though it would change right in front of her. "You actually made it taste like bacon. I didn't think that was possible. Clark couldn't."

Conner let out a grunt at that before turning his attention to his own food. He wasn't particularly hungry but the last thing he needed was the nosy reporter asking questions about what had happened to his appetite. His mother was a dog with a bone when she thought that she had a story and if she thought something was wrong she would keep hounding him until he said everything. As soon as he finished his plate, Lois grabbed his and hers, brought them to sink and started washing them.

"Not that I don't love visits from my darling son," Lois said casually as she returned to her seat. "But what are you doing here? Your puppy gave me quite a start in the morning, you know?"

Wolf let out a bark of annoyance at that from his seat, showing that she wasn't the only one who was startled.

"You sat on him?" Conner guessed, looking at Wolf almost blending seamlessly with the bright white couch.

"What do you expect?" Lois asked as crossed her arms defensively. She sent a sharp glare to the canine. "And you didn't answer the question."

"Stuff," he said.

"Truly, you are a master of words," she drawled. "Red Tornado could take lessons from you."

Conner grunted.

Realizing she was getting nowhere, the reporter decided on a different approach. "So how long will I get to spend time with you?"

"Not sure."

Her violet eyes narrowed and her lips turned into a thin line. Conner could see the internal struggle that she was wrestling with her maternal instinct to let him come to her and her reporter instinct to keep digging for the truth no matter the cost. After a few seconds, she had apparently made her choice. She leaned over the desk and kissed him on the forehead.

"Well it's always nice to have you here."

* * *

Putting the matter to rest the morning passed without incident and the duo moved to the couch. Lois had caught him up on her life. Her recent investigation into Lexcorp. "I'm being careful. You sound like Clark," she assured when he worried about her attempt to break into a secure facility. That she had a new neighbor that kept hitting on her as soon as he saw that she was married to Clark "He keeps bragging about his muscles." And that she discovered that eating healthy wasn't worth the years that it added. She occasionally threw out question to fish for information but Conner bounced it away.

Conner had thought M'gann would have wanted to keep the break up a secret, at least for a few days at least.

But like many things he thought about the Martian over the past few months, he was proven wrong. It was around two in the afternoon when the team had learned about his break up. He knew this become of the amount of texts that started getting sent around that time, shattering his brief reprieve.

_"WHAT DID YOU DO?"_

That was Artemis. Karen and Zatanna sent messages of a similar tone with varying amount of expletives. All in defense of the green skinned girl and her honor. He didn't know whatever she had told them but it was apparently not that kind to him. Whatever she did said, she obviously omitted her part in their end.

_"Man, what did she do?"_

Mal sent that one. As an occupant of the Mountain he had been privy to the fact the past few months, the long silences, slammed doors and raised voices that their relationship devolved to despite their public appearance of everything being fine. His job had mostly been to keep the sender of the next message in the dark.

_"Come back. Sis, she won't stop crying. I don't care what happened. Just come back. You guys can fix this."_

That was Garfield.

Even more than M'gann, he was the reason Conner couldn't stay in the mountain last night. The younger boy he had adopted as a little brother was probably losing his mind right now and he had no idea what to say. There was no way he could look at Garfield's pleading face right now to forgive his sister. Conner didn't think his resolve was strong enough for that. Not yet at least.

With a swipe of his finger, Conner deleted that one instantly in a desperate attempt to keep it out of his mind. Putting his phone on silent, he put it back in his pocket. If an emergency occurred he had his communicator. He hoped no such thing occurred for the next few days. He had no idea what he would do if he saw M'gann or the rest of the team this soon.

He could see Lois trying to peek into messages with the peripherals of her eyes. But he kept his phone close to his chest. He heard a beep and checked his phone again but to his surprise the screen was still blank. The reporter right beside him grabbed her phone instead. She spent several moments looking at her text before she put it away.

Conner grimaced. He prepared himself for the bombardment of questions that was sure to spill out of her mouth. Instantly wishing he had had chosen to go to his grandparents house instead for peace and quiet.

After several moments of awkward silence, Lois finally opened her mouth. "Pizza or Chinese?"

"What?' he asked in surprise.

"What do you want for lunch?" She said. "Your choice."

"You're not going to ask?"

"About you and M'gann breaking up?" The reporter asked with a raised eyebrow. "While I'm a bit put out that Black Canary had to be the one to tell me instead of you, If I asked your right now? Would you tell me?"

Conner shook his head.

"Then there's no point. Here's something you learn quickly on the job. A reporter knows when _not_ to ask." Lois said wrapping one arm around the younger boy. "And right now a mother knows that the best to help her broken-hearted son is some incredibly unhealthy food and so many hugs you'll die of embarrassment."

* * *

_End Notes_

_Added and changed some things_

_Since Clark and Conner spoke about two words with each other in season two after a season of Conner looking for a father in him, I'm changing their dynamic back to father and parent. Since I can't see a single version of Clark Kent ever leave a child he accepted into his family to live alone, in the five year gap, Conner lived with Clark for a few years until he moved back in with M'gann and Garfield for University._


	2. A Father's Worry

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter One: A Father's Worry

* * *

Clark was concerned about Conner.

When it came to Superboy, Clark was aware he didn't have the best track record. For the first few months of his life, the man of steel had done his best to not acknowledge his existence. The feeling of violation and disgust that came up whenever he remembered that someone had taken his DNA without his knowledge to make a child in his image had made it impossible for Clark to look the boy in the eye. Back then he would take any excuse under the sun to stay away until he could come to terms of it to the reality he was now living in. He knew it was cruel to the boy, the most innocent in this situation. He saw how much it hurt every time he brushed off his attempts to approach him, a little less eager with every attempt.

But then again everything about the situation had been cruel.

He had known long before the prodding of Bruce who would update him daily about everything related to Superboy, that there was not a rotten bone in his body. "He's a good kid," Bruce had said in many of their conversations. It was an underestimate, Clark had always thought, and that the boy wasn't just a good kid. That he was perfect. But that the most unfair thing he could do to the clone is be around him and let him know just how much he couldn't be near him. Neglect would be better than being around the still healing Kryptonian. He knew neglect would hurt him, but it wouldn't _break_ him like being around a man who couldn't meet his eyes.

It was why originally didn't tell his new wife about his existence. The duo had long been pained about the fact that they were unable to have a child of their own. Kryptonian and human DNA was too incompatible. He knew with the news she would she would have dragged the boy into their apartment the very second she learned about his existence in spite of any protest that Clark would make. And that she wouldn't understand what he was going through at that moment. She would just see a child that was him.

Dinah had been livid about his plan. She had not seen the pain of his violation, or the fact that he had been essentially raped. She had only seen a hurt child who needed his parent. Not the adult who couldn't be a parent yet. The Black Canary had taken it upon herself, to be Superboy's de facto mentor in his absence, teaching him the importance of skill along with his strength, to hear his fears and worries. To be the rock that he wasn't able to.

Even through her glares and snide comments during those days, Clark was never happier that Superboy had her in his corner.

"His name is Conner," she said to him coldly at the end of a mission. It was a perfect name, he had thought, much like everything about that boy.

Before he knew it, new years had fallen. And once again he had been violated by the mysterious Light organization that had made Superboy. His free will stolen by _Luthor_ of all people and rescued by the children.

Rescued by Superboy

The perfect boy who he couldn't see.

Until right that moment.

When all the insanity had died down, he knew what he had to do. The boy had been fidgety and nervous when he had approached and unused to hearing words of praise from him. Clark couldn't blame him for having any other reaction. After revealing his name, the child apologized for having his name. Worried that Clark would think he had stolen it.

"No, It was nice," he had said.

_It was perfect._

Lois reacted just as he thought she would. She accepted Conner into their lives without a second thought. Only angry at Clark for keeping her away from him. "You bring him to me," she had demanded when he revealed his deception, her violet eyes blazing with anger. He wisely did not tell her he already invited Conner to live with them. She dropped his pillows on the couch, where they remained for a month, long after Conner moved into their apartment. When he had asked about the living arrangement, Clark had simply told him, "It's a punishment for being an idiot." His ma had called and said he deserved twice whatever Lois gave him.

Clark couldn't agree more.

Over the following months that had followed, he got to know his son. Something he thought he would never have, thanking Rao every day that he had forgiven him for the time he needed to adjust. His son had gotten to know his grandparents who loved him as his own. He had gotten to know his hobbies, his likes, and dislikes—he really hated monkeys—amongst other minor things. That he had a girlfriend in J'onn's niece who would glare at Superman every time she saw him. A silent threat of, _if you hurt him,_ hung unspoken in the air between them.

It was one of the reasons Clark had liked M'gann. She hadn't hurt Conner, not like he did. She had loved him unconditionally. The very first person who told him, they loved them he would later learn. And he had done the same, even if his attempts were clumsy and brimming with inexperience. It was clear to Clark, that Conner would have moved heaven and earth to make her smile and stop her tears.

Nearly six months into their new living arrangement, Clark had taken Conner on their first mission together. The teenager up until this point had been busy with missions for the team so they hadn't had a chance to fight together. The encounter with Metallo had left him nearly half dead and Clark terrified. He had made the decision that Conner wouldn't fight until he had all his powers at his disposal, he would have been fine if he had flight or heat vision in his pocket.

"That's not going to happen," Conner said over breakfast when he approached him on the subject. "I'm not going to fly."

"Of course you are," Clark had pressed as the boy continued to shake his head.

"I'm not fully Kryptonian. Half of my DNA…." Conner looked away from him and bit his lip, focusing particularly on a knife on the table."It's Luthor's."

Clark liked to think one of his greatest achievements in life was not super speeding away and ripping the bald billionaire out of his tower that night. Conner confessed about Match—his damaged predecessor who was buried in Cadmus, a irrational beast who attacked anything that carried the symbol of El. A being that by the time they searched Cadmus was long gone. Conner admitted to using the shields—the drugs that Lex had hooked him on. Clark had thought he had seen the depths of Luthor's depravity.

But the fact he could do this to his own son without blinking was truly another level of atrocious.

After assuring the boy he was proud of him. That his blood meant nothing, he could be part devil for all that Clark cared at this point. He was someone worthy to be proud of a million times over. He had decided to take him to the fortress to see if hopefully Luthor was wrong.

Unfortunately, Luthor wasn't.

He had in fact omitted a secondary effect of his manipulations. Conner couldn't grow—not externally, due to the forced growth that made him sixteen in a few months. Without informing him, Clark had spent the next few weeks running from Themyscira to Oa in the name of finding a cure all in vain. Kryptonian DNA was too complex, too strange to tamper with. In his darkest thoughts he thought of even asking a certain fifth dimensional imp to correct the issue. He would have gone through with it if he wasn't terrified of the catch he would slip in, something that wouldn't go away with just getting him to say his name backwards.

"It's okay," Conner had said with a fake smile when he had given him the news. "I'm okay. All this means is I'm going to look good forever."

In what seemed like an instant, three years passed him by since Conner entered his life. Conner out of convenience had decided after his first year in University to move back to his first home to live with M'gann and her younger brother Garfield to make his commutes to Ivytown easier and to have more private time with his girlfriend in between missions.

"You visit me every weekend," Lois had ordered her step son as they prepared to say goodbye. "If you don't, I'm coming for you. I'll be very embarrassing. No one will want you."

"I will," Conner said, pecking her on the cheek.

In the following weeks, Clark made sure to check up on him. Conner had omitted that he had moved into M'gann's room and they can't keep their hands of each other to the disgust of Garfield and whoever was at the mountain at the time. But they were happy and that made the kryptonian happy for them. Lois hadn't been quite as content when she had found out. But she had adjusted. Even if he missed his son's presence back home.

Their pseudo-honeymoon phase had ended with a trinity of tragedies that occurred over the next two years.

First Tula died. The brave Aquagirl had sacrificed herself for the entire world and ended crushed to death along with the demon she had singlehandedly stopped. Aquaman had declared a holiday in her honor, made sure none of her family would have to worry about their finances and had let Tempest leave the team in peace. The team had taken the hit hard, unlike the senseless death of Jason Todd at the hands of a mad man. Her death had been a grim reminder that they all could possibly be forced to make the same sacrifice that day.

In the shadow of her death, Aqualad had abandoned the team. He had left in the middle of the night without a hint off where he was going, shortly after learning of the identity of his true father, Black Manta. Despite months of desperate searching from his teammates, there was neither hide nor hair of him until Atlanteans had reported that he had resurfaced in his father's camp. As Conner's closest friend on the team had taken his betrayal especially hard. The Atlantean had always been a source of untouchable serenity to the clone who had struggled to overcome the rage that came so easily to him. He confessed to Clark he had spent many nights wondering if there could have been anything in the world he could have done to stop the betrayal, to keep his friend at his side.

Ted Kord, the second Blue Beetle, had died next. While he was nowhere near as close to the two as Tula and Kaldur'ahm were, his death had been a huge hit to morale of the League and Team alike against their war against The Light. Unlike Jason or Tula, he was the first official member of the League who had truly passed away, killed by Deathstroke and Sportsmaster in the name of protecting a strange scarab that had vanished in the chaos. It had been the last straw for Artemis and Kid Flash, and they had gone into retirement to live as normal kids.

It was his eyes as a reporter that noticed a strain between them early on. He had originally assumed it was because of the increase of responsibilities they had taken in the name of easing Nightwing into his new leadership role and losing three of their original members. Conner had taken over Black Canary's position of training the younger members of the team, memorizing old case files of the league and team. M'gann on the other hand had taken a noticeably more aggressive approach towards her opponents, which particularly troubled not only him but even her own uncle. But even when they had gotten adjusted to their new roles, their affection hadn't returned and the duo became more distant with each passing one. Many had ended with Superman noticing Superboy couldn't meet Miss Martian's gaze. Mal Duncan, another inhabitant of the mountain had admitted to him in secret that he had heard the duo yelling at each other when they thought no one was around and had been doing his best to keep Garfield out of the loop.

Clark had hoped that his instincts were wrong and that they would get over whatever issue they were having. So he had kept his opinions to himself.

So when he returned home from Markovia and Lois said Conner was staying with them for the next few days over Sunday dinner with signs of ripped chocolate bars and cheesy b-movies playing in the living room, Clark for Conner's sake feigned surprise. Even though he knew this was an inevitability.

Clark didn't have the best track record when it came to Conner. He wasn't there for him when he was born and adjusting to the world. He wasn't there when Luthor had approached him when he was weak and vulnerable. Even with all his abilities and resources at his disposal he couldn't help him fly, and he couldn't help him age.

But he could be here for him now.

* * *

Clark waited until Lois had fallen asleep before he approached his son. Conner was lying on his bed, staring blankly at the wall when Clark entered his room. Sphere's lights had dimmed signaling it had shut down for the night and Wolf was asleep in Krypto's far too small dog bed. The older man handed the eternal teenager, a glass of milk, just as his mother always offered him every time he had a problem, before he took a seat at the foot of his bed. "What happened?"

Sitting up, Conner took the cup but didn't take a sip; instead he placed it on his nightstand. Conner looked down, opening and closing his mouth several times in search for the right words before he settled on, "She changed."

"Everyone changes," he pressed. Even though Conner's issues with rage had lessened over the years, Conner remained an introverted person and never one to open up about his problems if he could help it, which always made getting information from him a trial.

"I don't," he said in a resigned tone that Clark had gotten far too used to hearing lately.

Clark flinched at that but kept his face impassive. Regardless of the five years of research under Conner's nose, he still wasn't even a bit closer in curing his aging problem. Instead he pushed on. "You and M'gann have been together forever. Whatever she did, it can't be that bad. You can get over it."

Conner kept shaking his head with every word Clark said. "I-It's not that simple, Dad. Not after what she did…I can't forgive this."

"Did she cheat on you?" Clark guessed. Conner would move heaven and earth for M'gann. Whatever she had done must have been a earth shattering betrayal.

"No," Conner said shaking his head once more. "Much worse than that."

"Did she-"

"Stop fishing!" Conner snapped, cutting him off. "I didn't tell Mom what she did. I'm not going to tell you."

"Alright, alright." Clark put his hands up in the air in surrender wisely dropping the subject. Now wasn't the time to ask. "Then let's move to a less emotional subject. So what do you plan to do now? You plan on rejoining the team after you cool down?"

"Of course," Conner said. He stared at him as though he had grown another head. "Where else would I go? It's my team."

"That M'gann will also be on," Clark said gently. He placed his hand on Conner's knee and squeezed lightly in support. Clark was certain there was a lot that he wasn't getting about what had transpired the other day and he was certain Conner wasn't willing to offer more information at this point. But the duo being near each other wouldn't do either of them favors. "I'm not sure what's happened between you two but it doesn't sound good. And let me tell you as someone who had dealt with a bad break up before. Space is probably the best thing for both of you. You'll only hurt each more otherwise. I don't think you should go back."

"I can't abandon the team like that, just because I have a problem with M'gann. They need me. " Conner said looking firmly up at the ceiling once more. "Freddy, Garth, Mary, Donna, even Wally and Artemis are gone. It's just us."

"And that's not your problem, Conner," Clark said frowning. "They all made their own choice to leave the team on their own. Because that was what was best for them. Did you begrudge any of them for leaving?"

"No," Conner murmured.

"Of course you didn't, because you're their friend and you wanted the best for them. And that's what everyone else on The Team will want for you, because _you're_ their friend. If a crisis occurs and you had a mission with M'gann tomorrow do you think you can work with her without a problem? Be honest with yourself, here."

"I..." Conner paused thoughtfully, "I… don't know."

"And who said you have to abandon them?" Clark asked, pushing on. "You do remember the team was designed to be training until you guys were ready to stand with us. It was always meant to be temporary. Why not make today the day you take the next step?"

Clark cleared his throat.

"Why not join the Justice League?"

* * *

Notes:

Freddy, Mary and Donna were the missing three members of Young Justice who left the team before season two started.


	3. Decisions

Changed the name of fic. I was much happier with this name.

* * *

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Three: Decisions

* * *

_"I thought we were through. You got so mad," Megan said in between tears. "I thought I was never going to see you again."_

" _Hello, Megan!" Conner said with a laugh, flicking the cheerleader on the forehead. "I love you. A stupid little fight can't stop that."_

Why couldn't real life be more like TV? M'gann asked herself for the umpteenth time in the past forty-eight hours as she mouthed the last lines of her favorite TV show before restarting the series.

M'gann had spent the past two days on a nonstop, _Hello Megan_ marathon, locked in her room despite the coaxing of her little brother and her best friend. She wanted to be alone right now She hadn't been able to pick up the series since Queen Bee had murdered her mother on earth, Marie Logan. But as soon as Conner walked out to his parents, she had busted out the DVDS.

Why did he have to be so stubborn?

All she wanted was to stop the fighting. To go back how they were before all this madness had fallen on them. They were good together; they were good for each other. He was being irrational. M'gann always knew he had a terrible opinion of psychics because of his upbringing. But he always said she was different than all the other ones he knew. That she was _special_.

Then why was he making such a big deal of this. She wanted their fighting to stop. What was wrong with that? It was just one little memory. If she took it away, they'd be happy again. He'd be happy again.

His argument that she was being too harsh didn't hold any water. There was no point in acknowledging it. It was times like this she remembered he was only five years old. His childlike naïveté of the world and the roles they had to play as hero and villain didn't exist. It didn't help being around his Dad for so long. It was easy being so idealistic as the man of steel when your fists could crack mountains, and nothing could hurt you. But the real world wasn't as kind as the Kryptonians believed. Being a mixed race Martian that fell on the white spectrum like her father while the rest of her nineteen siblings were lucky enough to be Green like her mother had taught her a long time ago the world wasn't fair and life could be very cruel.

So she was being aggressive, so she was getting her hands dirty and making sure their enemies didn't get back up when they pushed them back down. If she had acted like this earlier, Queen Bee would have died and Marie would be alive. Garfield would still have his mother. Tula wouldn't have had to sacrifice her life stopping Tiamat.

Maybe if she just gave him some space. He'd realize how much he missed her. Like Conner did Megan. They'd have to see each other when he came back on the team and being around him would remind of how good they were together. She could win him back for sure.

_"My name is Megan Moss. I'm sixteen, and I wasn't what you call the most popular at my last school. But now that I've transferred, I plan to leave that all behind. I'm going to try out for cheerleading, try to win the attention of the most popular guy, Conner North and have the fairy tale high school life I deserve. World, say Hello to Megan!"_

* * *

Clark had left him alone to contemplate the decision as he and Lois went to work. Lois had stocked the kitchens with enough sweets that Conner was worried she might catch diabetes just being in their presence and a fridge filled with a silvery liquid that Conner recognized as booze strong enough to effect even Kryptonian physiology that the Green Lanterns brought for Diana and Clark.

Joining the league was a serious decision. Unlike Dick, Wally, Roy, Raquel or that guy—the last name was still too raw to bring up—he had spent his entire superhero career on a black ops team. He wasn't public. How would the world react to knowing a Superboy existed? How would they react to Superman hiding him under their noses?

He had long become at peace with the fact that he would never fly or be as strong as Superman. He was half human and it had taken him a long time to accept that. But a world being disappointed that the son of Superman couldn't do all that he could do was another thing all together.

Conner had decided to catch up on his homework to keep himself busy. He usually kept himself several weeks ahead with everyone else borrowing copies of his study notes during crunch time. Cadmus' education was a godsend during exams and essays. But why not take that that further Thanksgiving was in a few weeks and the last thing he needed was that on his mind was homework. So why not finish the entire semester's worth of work and get a early jump on the next.

But between being faster than a speeding bullet and a league laptop capable of standing the strain of a someone going at that speed, that had taken him roughly until noon. Emailing copies of relevant notes to Wendy, Marvin and Karen and a few other students he befriended who shared one or two classes with him, he struggled for several minutes on whether or not he should have added M'gann and decided against it. Karen would obviously give her anything she needed.

By two, Conner was desperate to not be left alone with his thoughts and he grabbed one of those silvery bottles. Conner had never gotten drunk before. Marvin had taken him drinking last year in honor of him turning twenty-one but that had ended with a stone cold sober Conner, taking care of a group of people that couldn't hold their liquor while pretending to be drunk as a skunk for their sake.

Today was probably the best time to try the real thing.

The strangely silver liquid burnt with every sip but it made him feel light and warm and distracted. Thoughts of the green martian he had loved had been pushed to the back of his head. So he kept drinking , and by the time he got half way he managed to get enough confidence to call someone.

" _Hey_ ," Wally greeted. " _It's been a long time, stranger."_

"Hi," he said, momentarily amazed at how much he could miss someone's voice. It had been close to three months since he had last heard from Wally outside of his texts.

 _"You caught me at a good time,"_ the speedster said, _"I'm procrastinating. Have a History Essay due in the morning. Spent the past twenty minutes, wondering how this apartment would look in me and Art's color. The answer? Surprisingly hideous."_

"You painted it already," Superboy guessed.

 _"It took me five minutes and it's a neon nightmare,"_ Wally deadpanned. _"But you're not calling about home decorating tips are you?"_

"Did you hear?" he asked, already knowing the answer.

_"Yeah, Artemis screamed the news in my ear the other night. I'd avoid her for a bit if I were you."_

Conner grunted in agreement. Artemis' text from the other day was fresh in his head. She was probably still at the mountain as they spoke, taking care of M'gann "I wanted to know…how you knew…" Conner swallowed hard. "How did you weren't happy on the Team anymore?"

 _"You're thinking of leaving The Team?"_ Wally asked in surprise. _"No offence. But I can't see you in a boring office job."_

"Superman offered me a place in the Justice League."

_"And you're thinking of taking it?"_

"Yeah."

" _If you want my opinion I think you'd do great up there. You deserve that position a thousand times over."_

"It's just...I've only been on The Team. I feel like I'm betraying them."

 _"Okay, first of all if anyone says that to you tell me and I'll punch them."_ Wally declared. _"And if they're a girl, I'll get Artemis to punch them. She still likes me."_

"Thanks," he said with a small smile tugging at his lips.

" _Second_ _and_ _let me clear about this. You're not betraying anyone._ _I'm gone, so are Artemis and Roy. That snake Kaldur abandoned us for his evil father. It's not the same Team anymore and you don't have to keep yourself there if you're unhappy being there. Lord knows I didn't. I don't know what happened between you and M'gann and since I know you, you won't tell anyone because you have issues."_ Conner rolled his eyes at this. " _But the best advice I can give you is that you need to take care of yourself first. You can't help anyone if you don't do that. We don't need another Roy on our hands."_

Roy had fallen off the radar when all leads for the original had disappeared. Despite the efforts of the Justice League and the Team he refused to believe that the original Roy Harper was gone. They had heard hints of him, here and there. But he was nowhere near the Archer he used to be.

_"After Tula died and I saw what Garth became. I couldn't imagine going on another mission and losing Artemis the same way. I was terrified every time I walked into the field. That went double for Artemis. I kept thinking, 'She doesn't even have powers. What if she gets in over her head? There's only so much skill can do when dealing with people as strong as Superman. What if I'm not fast enough to save her? What if? What if?' I wasn't sixteen anymore. I couldn't live with that over my head anymore so I left."_

Could he go back to the team? M'gann and he would be on the same squad during missions. He'd have to let her into his head during psychic links. And then what? Would she try to erase his memories again? Because he had an opinion she didn't like. He still couldn't believe that she would try it the first time. Even worse he couldn't be a hundred percent sure if she had tried this before with better results.

M'gann, at the end of the day was one of the best psychics period. He had only gotten lucky because he recognized her touch so well. If she had been more subtle, he might not have caught her and they'd still be together. Whether he liked it or not being around her would always make him question his own opinions or thoughts, wondering is she slipped them in when he wasn't paying attention.

"I-I don't think I can be near M'gann anymore," he confessed.

 _"Then I think you got your answer."_ Wally said.

"Thanks, Wally," he said.

_"Let me be the first to say it then. Welcome to the Justice League, Superboy. They'll be better for it."_

* * *

Dick had been surprisingly agreeable when he called him to tell him the news.

_"I'm not going to say I won't miss you because I will. And with Zatanna and Raquel leaving, this really hurts."_

"Wait? What?" Conner asked. No one had told him that those two were leaving.

_"Yeah, Zatanna got the offer a few hours ago. Icon offered Raquel a few weeks ago when she delivered her baby. They're both taking it. They'll be on the League after Thanksgiving with the next batch of leaguers. You'll probably be put in that group too."_

Conner ignored the stab of guilt at the pit of his stomach, reaffirming his choice. He made his decision and so did they. It wasn't his responsibility.

" _It makes sense_ ," the former Robin said. _"There's no point shoving you together with all this chaos surrounding you guys. Honestly you choosing this as cold as it sounds it makes my job easier. I probably would have recommended the same just to avoid problems. Just do me a favor."_

"What is it?"

_"Don't forget about me, Supey."_

* * *

Lois on the other hand was ecstatic, when he told his parents the news after work, already showing him an article named on her laptop titled, _Superboy: Son of Steel._

"I wrote this article years ago," Lois said when he raised an eyebrow at the already finished article. "I update it here and there so it's always ready in case you made this decision. It's already too late for tomorrow's issue. So you'll have a few days to get your things in order."

Conner wondered how many times the two had discussed this direction for him.

"Now are you sure you want to do this? We can't take it back," Clark cautioned.

"I'm sure," Conner said.

"You'll have to disguise yourself every day now," he continued.

"I know," he said.

"And your friends, you'll have to talk to some of them about it. Emphasize the importance of secrecy."

"Weren't you the one who said he should do this?" Lois hissed to her husband.

"I want him to have all the facts," Clark whispered back.

"I want to do this," Conner said firmly to the duo of reporters.

"Then just press send and it'll go straight to Perry." Lois said, offering him her laptop. Leaning forward, he clicked the button and the article sent.

"The world is going to love you," Lois assured, squeezing his arm.

Within seconds, her phone went off and Conner heard Perry's voice screech on the other side, _"SUPERMAN HAS A WHAT?"_

* * *

End Chapter

Notes:

I think M'gann would probably be at the worst and most irrational here with her heartbroken. She doesn't have La'gaan softening her up or time to cool down.


	4. Reactions

Author's Note: Chapter Three edit: The Marvin and Wendy line was omitted due to unhappiness with how the scene played out.

* * *

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Four: Reactions

* * *

_Superboy: The Son of Steel!_

_-By Lois Lane_

_It's been over fifteen years since he touched down on Metropolis. There's not a person alive who doesn't know the story of Superman, the last alien survivor of a doomed planet who has adopted this city and planet as his own. But there is one startling omission that has come to light…he didn't come alone._

_Alone in a strange world, the widowed father did what any parent in this situation would do. He hid his only son away from the public away from the eyes of his powerful and resourceful enemies such as the terrifying Atomic Skull who devastated Suicide Slums or the chaotic trickster, Mr. Mxyzptlk who gave our population gills last year._

_Now, an adult, I am proud to introduce to the world, Superboy, the only son of our man of steel…_

Lex read the Daily Planet's article with faint amusement, Mercy reading over his shoulder silently. He always did admire Lois Lane-Kent's ability to passive aggressively insult and attack him with every article. It was an honest gift. The picture she had chosen was a wonderful knife. It was of his son, practically hanging off the alien in a mockery of fatherly affection.

He would never admit it aloud of course but it did in fact rather tick him off.

The reason for the article was rather transparently clear to the billionaire. It was well known The League would be updating it roster in a few weeks like they always did—Lex, himself even formed a side bet with Ra's, over who would be picked this year. And the public would never accept such a secret child of their dear man of tomorrow so readily. Superman's precious wife had written a wonderful piece of propaganda to sway their minds. The single father of a doomed planet, raising his child in secret would touch the hearts of anyone. Thanks to words of Mrs. Lane-Kent, they'd gladly accept him into their society of heroes.

He momentarily thought of revealing his son's parentage as a clone, reveal the league's lies and disgrace their already diminishing standing in the eyes of the public but realized in the end that it would only dirty his hands far more than he needed to. He didn't underestimate the league's capabilities to connect him to Cadmus and other seedier operations, which even if they couldn't connect him to anything illegal might disqualify him from certain loftier positions that he was currently vying for.

"I'll let him have his moment," he told his cyborg assistant. "Contact Godfrey and tell him…I'll be upset if he mentions my son on his show."

It would most likely be questioned by his associates of course. But he felt like the milestone deserved some praise. He wasn't a complete monster after all.

Besides in the end, it didn't mater whether the boy was on The Team or the Justice League. it was all going to get harder from here.

* * *

Dinah framed the article in a silver frame she had lying around.

Five years ago, if someone told her this picture would have existed. She would have probably laughed at their face after making a particularly nasty comment at Superman's expense and his child rearing capabilities.

She knew it was unethical as the team psychologist but among the team, Conner was her favorite. Since she had met him, he had tugged at her maternal instinct in a way the others hadn't. He was a newborn, a particularly large and angry newborn that had needed her to be his support system in ways the other children hadn't. Who needed her to work out the constant complex emotions he was dealing with.

She had taken a step back when Clark had gotten his head out of his ass and he and Lois had taken over parenting the child. Making sure, the Kryptonian knew that she would always be watching in case he slipped up (which he hadn't) and her relationship with Superboy had slowly transformed from in loco parentis to that of a big sister.

Which was why she knew something didn't smell right with this break up. She knew more than anyone, how the boy had felt about Miss Martian. She had seen him nearly attack Kaldur'ahm for being mildly involved in getting M'gann injured. Conner breaking up with her without just cause was out of the question. Something very bad must have happened between the two of them.

But her little brother was joining the league and would be basically under her constant supervision now. She had all the time in the world to fish out the truth.

Lois had told her that Conner had spent the past few days, cooped up in his room. And Dinah was hit with a flash of inspiration, grabbing her phone she sent the boy a quick text.

' _Want to have lunch tomorrow?'_

After what felt like a eternity the boy finally responded.

_'Where?'_

_'There's this nice sports bar in Baltimore. You'll love it. Best wings and pizza in the country. It's called Warrior.'_

* * *

_"This is Iris West, the world is reeling from the bombshell that the Daily Planet dropped this morning for their Saturday Issue. The man of Steel has a son and we're all on our pins and needles to meet him."_

"I probably should see him," Artemis said frowning as she watched the television, the duo were lazing in for their precious weekend. "Congratulate him and everything. Wish him well. He's my friend and I should be happy for him."

"You're saying nice things but you don't look happy," Wally said as he placed their breakfast of sausage and eggs on the table.

"He broke my sister's heart, Wally. I can't let that go so easily."

"Did she tell you why they broke up?" he asked. "I got nothing from him."

"No," Artemis said as she pierced a sausage with particular vehemence. "She won't say a peep about what happened between them other than he broke up with her. It's not like her, Wally. I'm worried. All she's been doing this week is cry."

"He said he can't be near her anymore," Wally said, recalling their conversation. "Maybe she did something?"

Artemis snorted, "Be real, Baywatch." She took a violent bite of her sausage. "It's M'gann. What could she possibly do? She's the nicest person that we know here. And again, _he_ broke up with _her_ here. I bet you all that he's feeling right now is guilt."

* * *

Dick was in his office, a room that they had renovated for Kaldur years ago in the midst of reading The Team's report of a raid dealing with The Rogues last night when he heard Garfield's piercing shout. Running to the living room, birdarang in his hand, he wildly looked around in search for the possible threat but failed to identify one.

"What's going on?

La'gaan and Cassie surrounded Garfield who was in the midst of surfing the internet on his tablet.

"Superboy's in the news," La'gaan explained, taking the computer from the green boy and handed it to his leader.

Dick skimmed over the page and cursed. "He didn't tell me he was going to do it this way."

Cassie asked, "Why's he doing this, boss? Won't it make doing Team work harder?"

Dick sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "I planned to tell you guys later but it seems he took the words out of my mouth. Conner's not coming back to The Team. He's going over to the Justice League along with Zatanna and Rocket."

"Poor M'gann," La'gaan said sympathetically while the other two nodded in sympathy.

"Oh my god, who's going to tell her," Cassie asked, clapping her hand over her mouth.

"I will," Dick said. "So don't any of you tell her before I get the chance…Garfield, are you going to be okay?"

Garfield had been cycling through several animals including an elephant, a gorilla and then finally a green canary. "I need to clear my head," he said emotionlessly. The boy flew upwards and through the zeta platform and off to parts unknown.

"Cassie, go follow him," Dick ordered. "Make sure he doesn't do anything he regrets."

The Amazon nodded before flying through the glowing portal after the younger boy. La'gaan clicked his tongue. "What do you think is wrong with a guy like that, Nightwing? M'gann's perfect. She's pretty and kind. What kind of chum just throws somebody that great away?"

Dick raised his eyebrows, choosing not to pointlessly defend his friend to the boy that was plainly infatuated with his ex-girlfriend. He would probably have to have a conversation with the Atlantean on not preying on broken hearted girls later.

_"HELLO MEGAN!"_

M'gann had apparently started another episode of her show, and from the sounds of it, it was her favorite one, the episode where Conner and Megan finally get together. Dick pinched the bridge of his nose once more. He would tell her as soon as the episode was over.

* * *

Kaldur'ahm longed for the ocean.

The submarine he and his father were stationed on had made the closeness to sea, practically agony. He had paced through the vessel millions of times, desperate to get his gills wet. Black Manta had assured him, he would be able to stretch his legs out soon. But the former Team Leader worried what his biological father entailed.

Looking through the window of his room, Kaldur'ahm could see the very outline of Neptunos, the city where Tula had been born and reaffirmed his resolve. He would not waste his opportunity here for anything and land the decisive blow to hurt her murderers as soon as possible.

He heard the door open behind him with a hiss and didn't need to turn around to know it was Black Manta.

"My son," he cried jovially.

Kaldur'ahm had long trained himself to not shudder at the words of the supervillain. Calvin Durham, the husband of his mother Sha'lain'a, was undeniably the only father that he needed.

"Father," he said, turning around to face the man. Searching for any sign that he may be have compromised and finding no sign. In the man's hand was a small tablet. "Is there something wrong?"

"I thought you would be interested to know how one of your former friends is doing." Black Manta said smiling, handing him over the tablet.

Kaldur'ahm steeled his face into a neutral expression as he read the article despite the excitement he felt at the moment. It was the first time he saw hide or hair of the Kryptonian boy in over nine months and he was apparently doing well without him.

Kaldur'ahm had been concerned about all of his friends when he had made his decision to infiltrate the evil organization that had murdered his beloved and denied him and Garth even the dignity of being able to bury her. But he knew that the Kryptonian clone and Roy among all the others would take his apparent betrayal particularly hard considering his closeness to both of them.

The fact that he was apparently doing well without the boy brought the Atlantean boy much comfort even though it was sadly not something that he currently emote.

"I see no need to follow the antics of my former teammates," Kaldur'ahm replied coldly, handing the computer back to the supervillain. "What he does or does not is no business of mine."

Black Manta's smile only grew wider at his words and once more did the Atlantean barely hold back a shudder at his reaction. "Of course, my son. I understand. I'll make sure to keep that in mind. Come along, they should preparing lunch as we speak."

Kaldur'ahm nodded and followed the man, while internally wishing his friend good luck for his future endeavors.

* * *

Dick knocked on M'gann's door two times before he let himself in. The normally bright room was dark and gloomy; the glow from the television was the only source of light. It was in the midst of blaring, _Hello Megan._ The whole mountain had heard the series play for days without interruption. There was no sign of M'gann on her bed sans a large lump buried under a pile of blankets.

"M'gann," he called awkwardly, bracing himself for what he was about to do.

The lump on the bed moved almost imperceptibly, confirming that she was at least awake. "Go away," she said, weaker and more defeated than he had ever heard her sound.

"We need to talk," he said. "It's about the team."

The blankets lifted above her, revealing the normally well groomed Martian looking like a complete mess. Her normally straight and neat hair was a rat's nest; she was wear pajamas that had to be at least a few days old. She forced herself into a sitting position and looked at him, her eyes red and bloodshot from the tears she must have been crying. "What's wrong?" she said feebly.

The girl in front of him was such a far cry from the vibrant Martian he had known for the past five years, looking at her felt like a punch in the heart for the boy detective. For a moment, Dick cursed Conner for putting him in this position. Kaldur always made this part of the job look a lot easier than it was. But Dick would take taking on the entirety of Gotham's criminals rather than do what he was about to do at the moment.

"I-I thought you should know…" Dick trailed off. The words were a lot harder to say than he thought it would be. He walked to her bed and took a seat beside her. The girl watched him in disinterest waiting for him to get to his point. "We're going to be having some roster changes in the upcoming weeks. A few members are going to be leaving us to join the Justice League. And I thought you should know…Conner is going to be one of them."

"What?" she asked while her eyes were quickly becoming damp.

Dick took her hand and clasped it with both of his. "Conner doesn't think it's a good idea to stay on the Team any longer. He's not coming back, M'gann."

She took several deep breathes in quick succession, for a brief second, Dick wondered if Martians could hyperventilate before she crumpled into her bed, bursting into tears. "W-Why is he being like this?" M'gann asked, sobbing wildly. "It was just a fight, Dick! Everybody has fights!"

Dick didn`t say anything at this point, knowing words would be pointless at this point. Instead Dick took the girl into her arms, rubbing small circles into his back soothingly. No matter what was going on between Conner and M`gann, the girl in front of him was still one of his oldest friends and she needed him right now.

* * *

End Chapter


	5. Hope Springs

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Five: Hope Springs

* * *

The next day, Conner headed to Baltimore to meet Dinah for lunch.

The sports bar, Warriors was particularly easy to find. It had a bright neon sign that was almost blinding and the walls were such a gaudy green that he almost thought someone had painted it with liquid kryptonite.

Stepping into the building, he was surrounded by blaring televisions and sports memorabilia in a ocean of people who had come in for the lunch rush. Looking around, he scanned the room for any sign of the blonde woman for a few minutes before finding her in the back of the bar sitting in a booth, wearing a large and puffy jacket. As he walked towards her, she waved wildly at him.

"Hi," he greeted, taking a seat opposite of her. "Waiting long?"

"Not at all. Just had a interesting conversation with the owner." she said brushing him off. She unzipped her jacket and placed it beside her, revealing a t-shirt underneath.

Taking in the woman's appearance, he raised an eyebrow and asked, "What are you wearing?"

Underneath her jacket was a copy of his trademark T-Shirt. She beamed proudly. "Well, they were selling it everywhere. Had to get myself a shirt of Metropolis' newest son. More importantly, what are you wearing? I thought you threw them in the trash."

Conner coughed as he adjusted the glasses Lois had given him the other day. He hadn't had to wear them since he moved to Metropolis and transferred to a local high school. He had been ecstatic when he had been allowed to drop the frames to go to University. But they had been insistent that he had to start wearing them again, now that he had decided to go public. He was wearing one of the few plain t-shirts he still had in his parent's apartment.

Conner grimaced as he was reminded that he had to get his stuff out of M'gann's room soon. There was only so many times he could rotate between the same clothes again and again.

"I did," he said lowly. "Mom got me a new pair. So why did you want me to meet you here? Isn't it a little conspicuous?"

"It's loud enough that no one can hear us talk. And as I said, this place has the best wings in the country," Dinah said smiling. "I already placed an order. Triple cheese for you, right?" At his nod, she added, "Not worried about going back to university and getting recognized?"

Once he had asked Clark how people can't see something so obvious in front of him. His father had told him that people don't believe that a man that can fly could be among them, having a nine to five job, and pay bills just like they were.

Even seeing it in action, Conner couldn't believe that people could miss something so obvious. But this week after his reveal had proved him wrong. Despite going to a school with over twenty thousand students, very few people had connected Superboy, to Conner Kent in Art History

"Everyone seems to think Superboy is eighteen at best," Conner said deprecatingly. "One good thing about never aging is no one can guess your age. My friends Marvin and Wendy think Superboy is a better looking version of me. But according to them, he's much taller."

Dinah chuckled. "Well, if it makes you feel better. Very few people think their florist is Black Canary. Somebody told me I could pass if I lose five pounds."

One of the waitresses came by with their food. She was a Nordic woman with short white hair and blue eyes. She placed a double-decker burger and fries for Dinah and several gooey slices of pizza for Conner, and large basket of wings and pitcher of soda for the table. After taking an experimental bite of a piece of chicken he devoured three more in quick succession. The heroine from Platinum Hills wasn't exaggerating. They were in fact the best wings that the Superboy had ever tasted.

"See, I told you," Dinah bragged. "Best chicken in the country."

The duo engaged in small talk as they ate, Dinah asked about school and how his classes were doing while he asked about her ongoing mission to track down Red Arrow, which wasn't going well. He ate two slices of pizza before he had enough courage to ask, "Why am I here?"

"I was worried about you," Dinah said as she played around with her drink, spinning the liquid with her straw. She spoke in that painfully gentle tone Conner always associated with their old therapy meetings. "You broke up with your girlfriend, you moved out of the mountain, left the team. These are all big changes so I wanted to know how you're doing."

Conner had done his best to repress all thoughts of M'gann over the week since he had left the mountain. The chaos of the decision to join the league had been a wonderful distraction to keep his mind busy. But even with the distraction as soon as he was in bed or spent a little too long in the shower, he could almost feel the echoes of her body against his once more.

"Sometimes, I can't believe I even did it," he confessed to the woman. "Sometimes, I wake up and I expect to turn around to see her."

_Sometimes, I wake up thinking she erased another memory._

"I would imagine. She's been with you since almost the day you were born. Even if you don't love her like you used to, she'll always be a big part of your life." Dinah said, nodding her head.

"I love her." Conner sunk into his seat, shoving his hands into his pocket. "It'd be easier if I didn't love her…That's what's really messed up about all this."

"Can I ask what happened?" Dinah pushed.

Conner laughed mirthlessly. "She changed….or maybe she didn't and I was just in denial all this time." Conner looked away, focusing on a poster of a football player on the wall but not really taking it in. "Did you know she was the very first person who ever told me they loved me? I was so lonely then, I told her I loved her before I think I even knew what loving someone meant. She was my anchor when I wasn't sure about anything. But since then I saw a lot of other relationships, Artemis and Wally, Garth and Tula, Karen and Mal, Mom and Dad, Pa and Ma, even you and Oliver. You all have something that we don't have."

"What's that?" Dinah asked.

"Respect," Conner said, turning back to face her and staring firmly in her blue eyes. "I was okay with the fact M'gann lied to me about her appearance or the fact that she named me Conner to remind her more of her television show. I loved her so it didn't matter that she was lying to me I told myself. She'll tell me the truth eventually." He had understood that she was scared she wouldn't be accepted because of years of abuse on Mars so he had let her lie to him repeatedly until she was ready to tell the truth. "But it's five years since then. M'gann proved to me again and again she doesn't believe in being honest with me. She doesn't respect me or my opinions and I'm not some confused kid fresh out of the pod anymore clinging to any affection I can find. Love isn't enough to keep our relationship going."

What he had told Dinah as close to the truth Conner could admit without bringing up M'gann's dark deed that ended their relationship. The logical part of Conner knew, knew he should bring up what she had done. But the part that still loved the alien girl still wanted to protect her from getting in trouble. While another more cynical part of him wondered in the court of public opinion if the majority of the Team would ever pick him over the much sweeter and outgoing M'gann.

Dinah leaned over the booth and squeezed his shoulder "You've become a very wise man, Conner."

The subject dropped as they moved back to lighter affairs, by the time they finished their meal the lunch rush had died down leaving the formerly noisy bar barren. "There's someone I want you to meet." Dinah said. The blonde superhero led him to the bar where a tall ginger man, in his thirties with the body of a football player was in the middle of cleaning a beer glass. A bright green ring was on his finger identifying him as a green lantern.

"Hey Dinah," the man greeted as the two took a seat on the stools in front of him. "Come to finally leave Oliver and runaway with me?"

"Oh Guy," Dinah said. "You know I only love him for his money. You know what you and I have is much deeper than that. We have _chicken wings_. He knows he can't compete with that."

The duo laughed at their inside joke while Conner watched the scene feeling very out of place.

"This is Guy Gardner," Dinah introduced. "He's the newest Green Lantern joining us. Guy, this is Conner, the Superboy. He'll be joining the league, the same time as you. I thought you guys should meet before the big day. "

"Yo." the ginger haired man acknowledged. He looked up and down, sizing the clone up. "Boy is right. How did you not get checked at the door? What are you fifteen?"

"I'm twenty-one," Conner told the man.

Guy gave him a strong look of disbelief but shrugged, sending a look that Conner couldn't read to Dinah. He switched the glass he had with another one and continued to clean it. "All Leaguers eat here free."

"Guy has spent the past five years in the Honor Guard back in Oa," Dinah explained. "He came back to earth a few months ago and built this place while he gets used to earth."

"Subtle, isn't it?" Guy asked Conner, gesturing to the bar around him. "My second choice after Warriors was Green Lantern Guy's place. But that was a bit of a mouthful."

"Aren't you worried about your secret identity?"Conner asked.

The man let out a bark of laughter.

"Secret identity?" Guy repeated incredulously. "All of Maryland knows that Guy Gardner is a Green Lantern and that I own this place with more people learning each day. Nothing is secret about me."

"Plus, he's not nearly modest enough to have a secret identity." Dinah piped in.

"That too!" Guy agreed without a hint of humbleness, waggling his eyebrows at the younger boy. "What's the point of saving the universe if you're not allowed to brag about it? That's ridiculous. I'll have you know that at least three planets in the Milky Way alone have a Guy Gardner Day."

"And these are all holidays? Positive ones?" Dinah asked with a raised eyebrow.

"One of those Guy Gardner days may end with burning an effigy of me. But hey, it gets the kiddies together so can't complain." Guy chuckled.

Appraising the brash man in front of him, the value of League Membership suddenly became a little less impressive in Conner's eyes.

Turning her attention back to the younger man, Dinah smiled. "There's another reason I wanted you to meet Guy. Because as I said, Guy spent the past few years in Oa and despite his appearance, he was surrounded by some of the best minds in the universe." Dinah said. "And I brought up your condition..."

"I'm heading to Oa in a few days," Guy explained. "You can tagalong if you want. I got a lot of friends in high places so we can get you checked out."

Dinah bit her lip. "I don't want to give you false hope but if anyone can cure your aging problem. They can. You don't have to…."

Conner nearly stumbled out of his seat when he had heard the news. His aging problem had always been a heavy weight on his mind. As he watched all his friends and family change all around him, growing and aging while he remained stuck in time. Frozen.

"O-Of course I want to," he assured the other woman, his voice suddenly very unsteady. Despite the Canary's words, hope started to well inside him. Turning his attention to the green lantern, he cleared his throat in attempt to regain his composure.

"Please take me to Oa."

* * *

End Chapter.

Notes:

Before anyone asks, Clark went to Oa behind Conner's back and never told him his attempt, when he failed five years earlier.


	6. Preparations

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Six: Preparations

* * *

By the time he had arrived home, it was nearing eleven. He had spent the past few hours after his talk with Dinah and Guy Gardner, walking aimlessly around the city of Baltimore while his brain buzzed from the possibilities from a trip to the planet Oa.

The thought of being able to age had long become a pipe dream to the clone for so long. He had made jokes about the benefits to put others at ease, but watching everyone around him change and grow while he had stayed the same had been a constant reminder of just how different he was. That he was the boy who was born at sixteen.

The day he realized Dick, the boy who barely came up to his chest had become taller than him had been one of the few times he hadn't been able to make eye contact with him for a week while his former girlfriend comforted him behind closed doors.

Kicking off his shoes, he slipped into the living room. He could see Clark was on the couch, watching Godfrey's latest propaganda. His father was freshly changed out of his costume to a pair of Superman pajamas, Jimmy had bought him as a joke. A steaming cup of hot chocolate was laid out in front of him on the coffee table, coffee itself being a pointless beverage for a Kryptonian. "Hey," the man of steel greeted.

Collapsing on the nearby loveseat, Conner said. "Hey, yourself." He could hear the light sounds of snores from the master bedroom signaling Lois had turned in for the night.

Turning his attention to the TV, he could that G. Gordon Godfrey was in the middle of yet another tirade against the Justice League holding a poster of Superman in his hands.

" _How can we trust a man who can't even tell us how many kids he have!" Godfrey ripped up the poster into the pieces._

Clark let out a wry chuckle.

"The good thing is. He doesn't talk about you," Clark said, gesturing to television. "He alludes to you. But he doesn't say anything directly about you.

"Why do you even watch this?"

"Have to know our enemy," Clark said. "Besides now we can be sure he's a plant rather than just an ass. Otherwise you would have dominated his news cycle for weeks. Luthor must have muzzled him."

"Lucky me," Conner deadpanned. Unable to enjoy any favor his other genetic donor might have provided for him.

Well, aware of what a sore spot Lex was to his son, Clark quickly changed the subject. "So how was lunch with Dinah?"

"I met Guy Gardner. We went to his bar." Conner said. He grabbed the Styrofoam container of wings he in his pocket and placed it on the table.

Clark looked as though e swallowed a lemon at the mention of the green lantern's name. Whatever his past experience was with Guy Gardner, it was not a pleasant one.

"I met him on a few occasions," Clark said diplomatically, taking the mug off the table to take a sip of the brown liquid to mull over his words. "He had a big….personality from what I remember."

Conner was certain that was the nicest word Clark was currently thinking.

"Anyway, he's going to Oa this Wednesday." Conner said neutrally. "I was thinking of going with him."

Clark stared at him as though he grew another head.

"Why?"

_Because I want to age like everyone else._

But Conner didn't say that. The idea of mentioning the true reason for the trip to his father had been scrapped as soon as it crossed his mind. The kryptonian had always felt terrible about his inability to help him. Even though Conner knew it was illogical for him to blame himself. There was no way the Fortress of Solitude hadn't prepared for the possibility of a half human clone and he knew the man blamed himself for not being able to cure the curse that Lex had inflicted upon him.

So he lied.

"I wanted to see what another planet's like," he said lamely. Knowing it wasn't the best of excuses. "Sightsee."

"Sightsee?" Clark echoed after several seconds with raised eyebrows. ""Couldn't you travel a little more locally for that? Earth's pretty beautiful too, you know?"

"I've been everywhere," Conner told him. Conner doubted that there was a country in the world he hadn't visited over the past few years.

"On missions," Clark corrected, taking another sip of his drink. "It's a lot more beautiful when you have enough time to appreciate it."

"It' also a lot harder when you might have to be put up with your ex-girlfriend at any moment in case a mission comes up," Conner said. It was a dirty trick to use his M'gann but instinctively Clark winced in response to her name.

"Listen," he said in a softer tone to his father, "I really need a break and a change of scenery." The latter wasn't a lie. He loved his parents but he was getting a little tired of the sympathetic glances that they had sent his way since he had returned from the mountain.

Even though it was clear that he still had more objections the man of steel stifled them. Clark's gaze was now much more sympathetic. Sighing loudly, a pinching the bridge of his nose, he asked, "Will you be back for Thanksgiving?" The holiday was in a fortnight.

"I'll try," he said.

* * *

The following three days were the longest of Conner's life as time slowed to a crawl. He had packed and unpacked dozens of times, despite only having a week's worth of clothing. Once again reminding him of the fact that he had to head back to the mountain to get the rest of his items from M'gann's room. He knew he had to head back to the mountain soon but he kept delaying it as much as possible. Hoping that the him of tomorrow would have more strength than he currently had to face the girl that had violated him.

Conner wasn't sure what Clark had to Lois, but the reporter had kept mum on the subject of him leaving the planet. Instead acting as though he was leaving to another country, giving him tips of having fun abroad that he was certain would not apply on Oa.

But the gesture was sweet and he took it gratefully.

Clark on the other hand was another story. He had done his best to act as though everything was normal. But although he was seemingly okay with his decision, Conner was aware that he had gone behind his back to talk to Guy Gardner to size the man up the very next day. Dinah had called him the other day to tell him that Clark had visited Warrior to confront the Green Lantern on his intentions towards his son and Guy had taken it as a challenge. Taking the initiative to convince the man of steel that he was dragging his only son down the path of sin instead of the far charitable reasons. Dinah had declared that two men in a rather uncharacteristic display of anger for the Kryptonian had almost gotten into a fist fight in the street.

In the meantime he had spent a lot of his time staring at the mirror when he was sure Lois and Clark weren't paying attention. He had spent his whole life avoiding his reflection, first because of his resemblance to Clark, then because of his resemblance to Lex and then because he could no longer age. Looking at the mirror had always been a painful experience.

Now all he could see was potential.

If Oa turned out to be the cure, he had spent his time wondering if the change would be instant or if he'd grow gradually, he didn't have a preference. It would seem far too selfish to have one after the ability to grow alone excited him far too much to complain about any process that could occur.

Somehow, after a seeming eternity passed by it eventually turned into Wednesday and he left the apartment at the crack of dawn, giving his parents, a hug goodbye. Lois held particularly tight during the embrace.

It felt a little as though they thought he was going to war rather than going on a vacation as far as they were concerned.

Conner nodded before gesturing his two companions to come forward as he prepared to leave.

Naturally Wolf and Sphere would be coming along with him to the alien planet. Sphere had been particularly excited at the idea of leaving the planet, spinning wildly throughout the night. It had been driving Wolf and his mother crazy as they dealt with the pent up energy of the alien ball.

After they all walked onto the balcony, Sphere shifted back into Super Cycle mode and he and Wolf boarded her.

"Have fun," Lois said.

Clark took a step forward, opening and closing his mouth several times in an effort to find the right words. Lois jabbed him in the side to get his attention and that seemed to get him back in order.

"I hope you find what you're looking for out there," Clark said finally. "Just be safe and come home safely."

Conner nodded and Sphere rocketed off to the sky heading straight towards Baltimore.

* * *

Taking the long route instead of the zeta platforms, Sphere landed on the roof of Warrior a little past eight. The building was still closed for the day and they waited patiently for Guy Gardner to arrive.

It took three hours before the man materialized. Flying down from the sky in his Green Lantern garb. Unlike the other lanterns that Conner had seen, Guy had a bright green coat over his uniform rather than the plain one piece of Hal Jordan and John Stewart.

"You're an early bird aren't you?" Guy asked as he landed, holding a cup of coffee in his hand. With a loud yawn, he dug into his pocket with his free hands searching for the keys. After several seconds, he retrieved the item and opened the roof door, leading to the bar below. He sized up Wolf and Sphere momentarily before brushing them off. "Your daddy visited me."

"I heard," Conner said. Hoping the confrontation hadn't soured him to the Green Lantern. "Sorry."

Guy waved him off. "Don't worry about it. Lying to Mr. Man of Steel gets my motor going," Guy said, saying his father's title with distaste clear. "You wouldn't believe the color he turned when I said I was going to buy you, your first space hooker on Oa the other day."

"What?" he asked alarmed. Only imagining what other lies the Green Lantern had filled his father's head with over the past few days.

Guy grinned.

"Yeah, Space hooker? Seriously?" Guy said rolling his eyes. He walked Conner past the bar to a door in the back as he drank the liquid. The bar was eerily silent compared to the noisy building, Conner had experienced days ago. "Guy Gardner doesn't need to buy women."

Conner wisely remained silent at that remark.

"There's a Zeta port that connects straight to Oa in the basement," Guy explained as he lead them to a door at the edge of the bar. "Only mine and Coast City's have the coordinates.'" He said the last sentence with brag.

Opening the door, the basement steps led to the familiar site of a large zeta transport. The sight of the alien tech fit awkwardly with the normality of a basement. Ignoring the contrast, Sphere practically flew onto the platform while Conner and Wolf closely followed. Guy on the other hand stood beside the control pad, patiently drinking his coffee as slowly as possible to the point Conner was certain he was doing it to bug him. "Ah!" he said loudly with his final sip. Crumpling the cup and throwing it in a nearby trash can without even looking. He pressed several keys to insert the coordinates and stepped onto the platform, a white portal opening in front of them.

And they disappeared in a flash of light.

* * *

End Chapter


	7. Chapter 7

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Six: Aliens, Aliens, Aliens

* * *

Conner was no stranger when it came to aliens. As a demi-Kryptonian himself and member of the Team, Conner's experiences with aliens had fallen into three categories. The human in an all but ability like himself, his father and Icon, the slightly bestial but mostly humanoid like the Hawks, and the Martians who fell on the opposite side of the spectrum.

But only a few moments on Oa, showed Conner the vast range of species in the universe. Zipping through the sky or walking down the streets, the lanterns came in all shapes and sizes from as small as a flea to as big as a skyscraper, their skin a rainbow of different colors breaking up the endless green of the planet.

And it was a welcome break. Although the planet was beautiful, he was not exaggerating when he said _everything_ was green on Oa. From the grass, to the Sky, even the buildings looked like they were cut from pieces of jade and emerald. A giant version of the green lantern battery could be seen shining in the distance.

It reminded him of the time Garfield had played around with the color settings of the television in an effort to get used to his new complexion.

Sphere beeped wildly at the sight, while Wolf seemed overwhelmed by the odd scents in the air. The genetically modified canine sniffed in every direction.

There were a few nearby lanterns that had been looking oddly at him, Sphere and Wolf for his lack of uniform and looked like they were going to confront him. But noticing Guy behind him, they had quickly changed their minds and gone about their business. It seemed being associated with him being the only answer they needed.

Guy, well used to the planet was unimpressed by the amazing view of the planet. Instead he had just stretched and let out a loud yawn. It seemed the coffee he had chugged did seemingly nothing to wake him up.

"Stay close," Guy ordered.

Leading Superboy off the Zeta platform, they walked for several minutes through the busy streets of Oa. Ignoring the odd looks sent their way.

"Gardner!" A loud voice barked. "Do you have any idea how much paper work you left me with?!"

An alien that Superboy could only describe as a cross between a man, a pig and bulldog descended down from the sky. He was an imposing figure, at least four heads taller than himself. Beside him was a smaller woman who looked like she was barely eighteen as far as he could tell. Her skin had a slightly yellow tinge but she could have easily passed for human if it wasn't for her large elf like ears. Like Gardner's, her costume was a large divergence from everyone else's, the top being pure white with a green skirt, a green choker around her neck with the green lantern symbol.

"Kilowog," Gardner said with a roll of his eyes. Turning his attention to the girl, he greeted in a much warmer tone. "Arisia."

"Guy," she said smiling, used to the antics of the two lanterns in front of her. "Who is you friend?"

With a sigh, the exhausted Lantern made quick introductions. "This is Arisia Rrab of the Honor Guard, one of the best Lanterns on this dinky little planet." Arisia flushed at the praise and beamed even more widely. "The ugly one over there is Kilowog. He doesn't matter."

Kilowog snorted unaffected.

Gesturing to the Kryptonian, he added. "The kid is Superboy."

Giving the younger male a slight nod of acknowledgement, Kilowog turned his attention back on to the ginger. "Do you know how much paperwork you left me with?" The Green lantern barked, repeating his earlier statement. "I thought I was going to get a break from the biggest asshole in the galaxy for a bit and your home planet was going to have to deal with you for once."

"I heard your whining back on earth." Guy rolled his eyes."I'm here aren't I?"

Arisia now introduced turned her attention to the two figures standing behind Conner. "What a cute dog!" she gushed when she noticed a surprised Wolf. "Hal showed me a baby one before when I went to earth a few times. A pupper I think he called it? I didn't know they could get this big."

Conner was about to correct the female green lantern on the differences between dogs and wolves but a sharp glare from Guy stopped that cold. "His name is Wolf." Conner said to Arisia. Wolf, unaffected by the mischaracterization enjoyed her gentle petting.

Sphere beeped loudly in a bid for attention, surprising Arisia into instinctively leaping back into the air.

"And that's Sphere."

After waiting a beat, Guy asked, "Not good with the names are you, kid?"

Conner had been teased about his naming abilities many times over the years. But coming from a man named Guy that comment uncharacteristically stung.

Sphere, insulted as well as she instantly shifted into her Super-Cycle mode in an attempt to impress.

Arisia now impressed by the super cycle abandoned petting Wolf to examine the bike. "Hal and John didn't show me anything like this on earth."

"She's not from earth," Conner said. "She's from New Genesis."

A blank expression crossed all the lantern's faces simultaneously.

"Never heard of it," Guy said, Arisia and Kilowog made sounds of agreement. The planet was a mystery to the trio of space-officers.

"Anyway," Kilowog said, turning his attention towards Superboy. "Gardner needs to come with me for the next few hours."

"No can do," Guy said, grabbing Superboy close to him in an act feigning close friendship. "Got to drop off the kid to the genetic division first. He's got a big problem earth just can't fix you know and I promised his dad I'd get him looked out. Besides I'm not going anywhere for the next few days. Don't worry I got lots of time to finish my reports. I give you my word. "

* * *

"We're bailing as soon as you're fixed," Guy confessed as soon as they were out of ear shot of the duo of other lanterns with Superboy and Wolf following the flying lantern on the super cycle. "Can't stand the paperwork."

"Then why'd you come back?" Conner asked confused.

"Well, you're a big boy. So I'll be honest. Black Canary guilted me into taking you here," Guy said bluntly. "I got all my business on Oa done ages ago."

Conner felt a conflicting combination of annoyance and affection for the heroine at that.

After nearly an hour of flying, they finally slowed their descent, What Conner had imagined when he had heard the words science division was a building the size of STAR labs. But on Oa, the science division was the size of a large city. Breaking down into smaller divisions focusing on separate fields.

Flying into the heart of the city structure, Guy finally stopped in front of a building with a sign in a language that Conner could not recognize. "Follow me."

Leading him into a building that internally reminded Conner eerily of Cadmus as they walked through the hall, aliens of all shapes and sizes reminding him far too much of the g-gnomes that were trapped in the Cadmus building.

Stopping at a seemingly random office with more of the language, Guy knocked once before opening the door roughly.

Standing in the center in the office was a young woman who looked barely older than he was; she was a purple haired, pink skinned woman. The most noticeable feature was her right arm which had been replaced with a metal prosthetic and a large green tiara that separated from the other lanterns. She was holding a bright green and alien looking tablet. Noticing Guy, a flash of annoyance crossed her face.

Ignoring that, Guy pushed on, "Superboy, this is Boodikka; she's in charge of the medical division. Boodikka, this is Superboy. He needs your help."

"Hello," she said kindly, concern evident in her face. "What seems to be the problem?" As soon as Superboy opened his mouth, she glared at Guy and added coldly. "I'd rather talk to the patient alone, Gardner."

Guy rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Wolf and Sphere who had transformed back to enter the building standing in the doorway, gesturing for them to follow him.. "Come on, we'll be outside."

After making sure they were alone, Boodikka turned her attention back towards Superboy. "Go on."

"I can't age," he confessed, explaining his status as a clone and the forced aging process that grew him over a period of sixteen weeks that caused him to be unable to move past the physical age of sixteen.

As soon as he was finished talking, Boodikka simply said, "My, my, that seems to be a predicament."

That was the understatement of a century.

Pushing on she said with a bright smile, "Well good thing you're on Oa. Let's see what we can do about that."

* * *

It was nearly ten in the evening by the time Superman managed to get to Mount Justice, a case of folded cardboard boxes in hand. Superman forced a smile as the Zeta tube announced his entrance. Without skipping a beat he was surrounded by a majority of the young sidekicks who seemed eager to see the man of steel. The only adult that Clark could see watching over them was Miss Martian.

Because of course it would be.

Beast Boy stood uncharacteristically separate from the group that greeted him. The changeling had always been particularly happy to see him. Instead he stood beside his sister in a obvious attempt to show where his loyalties lied, making sure his eyes didn't meet him.

M'gann on the other hand was blatantly staring daggers into him.

But frankly compared to the myriad of death glares he received from enemies, Bruce and _especially_ his wife. It was nothing special and he ignored it with ease to focus on the children in front of him.

"Where's Superboy?" Wonder Girl asked. Not being a girl who minced words.

"He's away," Superman said. While he didn't approve of Conner's trip to space with the lantern earth had to offer. He didn't think that it was his place to tell the children, he was off having an interstellar vacation.

"Is he really joining the League?"

"He felt that it was best." Superman said.

Lagoon Boy let out a particularly loud snort at that but was cowed from saying more by a sharp glance from Superman.

"Superman," she said frostily, ruining whatever illusion of cheer the mountain had at the moment. The other sidekicks quickly distanced themselves from the Man of Steel as a result. "What are you doing here?"

"I've come for Conner's things." Clark said, raising the folded cardboard boxes to get her attention. Lois and he had noticed the limited wardrobe and his avoidance to go back to the mountain, and had decided it'd be best to take care of the issue before he returned to make the transition easier.

M'gann's expression became even darker. Pushing her brother to join the other children who quickly made a excuse to leave, she gestured for the Kryptonian to follow her into her room. Following her down the narrow hallway, M'gann let him inside before closing the door behind her.

Placing the boxes down on the ground, Clark became sincerely grateful for Conner's need to be organized as he saw that the boy had left all his clothing in neat little rows and already folded. It was a far cry from the blankets and shirts that belonged to the Martian girl, littering the ground.

"It's funny how things change isn't it?"M'gann asked, leaning on the closed door with her arms crossed.

Clark said nothing, using his super speed to move things along. Anything to end the awkwardness he was feeling at the moment.

Continuing, the Martian added, "It's funny, five years ago, _you_ couldn't even look at him and _I_ was there for him, loving him while you were too afraid to. Now we have our first real fight and he can't even look at _me_. Seems he really learned a lot from you in the mean time. Run away and hope your problem disappears. No matter how much it hurts someone."

Clark was taken aback by the surprisingly low blow from the normally cheerful girl. While he had been aware of her growing aggression, the past few minutes was showing a whole new side to M'gann that was incredibly unflattering. If this was how she acted behind literally closed doors, it was no wonder why Conner had ended things.

Packing away the last of Conner's things, he lifted the now dozen or so boxes he had with ease. "Are you done, M'gann?" he asked disappointment evident in his voice.

Opening the door with a thought, she was unaffected by his tone and instead dug in her heels and said with her voice dripping in sarcasm, "Tell Conner congratulations for me."

* * *

The next few days on Oa were a process Conner was far too used to, constrained to a bed as he was constantly poked and prodded as he quickly became the star of the science division's curiosity. As a Kryptonian hybrid, a clone and his aging problem made him far too appealing to ignore. Doctors, biologists, geneticists among many others visited him to examine him.

They had him change into a hospital gown. Which like everything else on the planet was a green, a color that he was becoming very irritated by over the past few days, particularly since this shade matched a certain Martian's skin color, a constant reminder to the girl he left behind on earth that he could do without.

Guy, to his credit had done his best to keep him distracted, sneaking in food and games to keep his mind busy as dozens of people came into his room, in between masterfully avoiding Kilowog's attempts to find him, which must have taken far more energy than merely finishing the work.

"Well obviously," the Green Lantern said when he brought it up the issue. "It's not as much fun though is it?"

It was nearly noon and the duo were playing cards, when Boodikka arrived. A short blue skinned, white haired old man in a red and white robe stood beside her, from Guy's description he had to be a Guardian of the Universe. Boodikka, unlike her more chipper visits was uncharacteristically grim.

"You said earlier. This is your first time in Oa," Boodikka asked.

Conner nodded, a knot forming in his stomach.

"I was searching through Oa's files on kryptonians and I found that you already have a file here," Boodikka said, skimming through her tablet. "My deceased predecessor had one on you. It was submitted by a Superman and Hal Jordan over five years ago."

The knot in his stomach instantly transformed into a lead weight.

Conner wasn't surprised that his father had never told him. He wasn't the type of person to tell someone something until he came back with good news.

But that meant he came to Oa and failed. Internally Conner started to reassure himself that five years was a long time with technology. That there was still a chance their scientists could have discovered a cure with the issue that they could have missed. There certainly had to be a cure for his aging issue here.

The blue elderly man cleared his throat, getting everyone's attention. "Considering the curiosity you have given the Science division, I have looked over your file. I doubt there is anyone on this planet that can help you with your problem, child."

And with that whatever hopes Conner had evaporated.

"Just a fountain of good news aren't you, Ganthet?" Guy said snidely, throwing the cards he had in his hands onto the bed.

After sending a judgmental glance at the earth born lantern, the man named Ganthet asked Superboy abruptly, "That Sphere of yours I've seen wandering around the complex is from New Genesis is it not?"

Sphere who had been resting in a corner had beeped in acknowledgment to her name.

"Yeah, what about it?"

Ganthet gave him the same judging look he had given Guy just moments earlier. Turning to Boodikka, he said, "To this day I do not understand how we managed to get three lanterns from earth."

"Hey!" Guy said.

Ignoring the annoyed earthlings, Ganthet continued, "As I said I doubt Oa has the ability to heal you of your condition. But that is certainly not the case with the new gods. I have never seen anybody more advanced that those two terrible planets."

And in an instant the hope was relit. The intelligence of Sphere and the wondrous powers of the teenage new gods that he had met had always impressed him. But for even the guardians to say that their technology dwarfed his own gave Conner a whole new level.

"Cool," Guy said. "Tell us how to get there and we'll be on our way." Conner nodded fervently in agreement.

Ignoring their exuberance, Ganthet said. "If you wish to go on your own, you will not be stopped, child. But to get to New Genesis you must first pass the Vega System, which is forbidden to all Green Lanterns to enter. And that rule won't change for you, Gardner."

Guy took the warning in stride and waved the guardian away."Yeah, yeah."

Still suspicious, Ganthet left with Boodikka in tow, with the doctor sending him a sympathetic look as she followed her boss to leave the two earthlings to their business.

After making sure they were out of earshot, Guy reached into the nearby basket to throw Conner's clothes back at hm. "What are you waiting for?" Guy asked. "Get changed. We're heading to New Genesis, kid."

* * *

End Chapter

Oa was always a stepping stone to New Genesis.


	8. Koriand'r I

Sorry for the lack of updates. School's been keeping me busy.

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Eight: Koriand'r Part 1

* * *

The bedroom that Conner was in was just one of many rooms of the spaceship that Guy had "acquired" for their trip. It was formerly the property of an intergalactic drug lord who had once taken over the Andromeda Galaxy. And it was plain for anyone to see, not only was the ship around the size of a skyscraper, intimidating all those who saw it along with its violently red interior and exterior. The lighting of the ship was this strange bright neon that gave his sensitive eyes a headache and couldn't be dimmed, and the leather-like furniture was covered in assorted fur pelts everywhere.

All in all, it was as if someone had seen eighties and decided to make it as a spaceship. And that was the main reason Guy had taken it as a trophy in one of his earliest missions in the first place before being forced to leave it to rot in one of the least visited warehouses on Oa.

Not that its appearance mattered to the boy. To get to New Genesis, he'd ride a cardboard box.

After the duo used the zeta port to transport themselves along with the ship to the outskirts of the Vega System, Sphere had taken the initiative to shift to her pill bug mode and take over the controls of the ship to guide them to New Genesis. If anyone would know where to go, it'd be her.

Free from the stress of piloting, Guy and Conner had decided the best thing to do was get some rest for the night.

Glancing outside the window of his room from his bed, Conner saw a sea of ships, littering the sky alongside the stars and a practical rainbow of planets. It was a constant, intimidating image since he entered the area. He had been to the watch tower and had spent several nights in the bioship right outside the atmosphere, but he had never been to another planet until Oa and had never felt quite as small as he had over the past few days.

The Vega System, as far as Conner understood from Guy's explanation was the equivalent of the universe's international waters. Where Green Lanterns could not tread and nothing was illegal. Leading to the Vega System to be the home of trafficking, slavery, pirating, drug dealing and assorted crimes that spilled like a river into the rest of the universe.

Turning his attention towards his phone, the kryptonian noted that it was roughly six in the morning. The constant travel and the unchanging sky of space had thrown off his internal clock and had made regular jet lag seem like a walk in the park.

Deciding that any more attempts of getting sleep would be a fool's goal, Conner slipped out of bed and headed towards the kitchen, where Guy in his civilian clothing, sitting comfortably in a fur chair with a ration bar in one hand and a book in the other with Wolf at his lap.

"Yo," the Lantern greeted as Conner took a seat opposite of him. "How are you adjusting to space?"

"It's amazing," he breathed out, looking at the window behind Guy, where a vividly silver planet seemed so close he could almost touch it before they zoomed past it. "I never knew that planets could be this beautiful."

"Yeah," Guy said, not turning around to observe the sight himself. "You should hold onto that feeling as long as you can. One day you get over just how amazing this universe is. Then one day all those big bright stars become just a pile of boring dots. And all those strange and wondrous aliens are just new things you need to punch."

Say, what you want about the man but Guy Gardner really had a way with words.

Their trip for the most part had gone off without many hiccups. The ship's ridiculous appearance had the added side effect of intimidating any pirate from trying to test their luck and attacking them.

Even going multiple times the speed of light, getting through the Vega System took days. The thousands of ships they had first seen had started to slowly disappear the further they went, until they saw nothing surrounding them but the stars themselves. With absolutely nothing to do, the duo spent their time exchanging stories, Guy mentioning the strangest cultures he had encountered as a member of the corps. Including a planet where every single person shared the same name, while Conner caught him up on Earth, The Light and the missions that he had taken on in The Team.

Guy proudly told him, he'd be able to get the mess on earth cleaned up in a week. And Conner admired his optimism.

The peace ended when Sphere suddenly stopped the ship.

"That's no good," Guy said, stating the obvious.

The duo made their way to the bridge to see Sphere standing completely still in front of a ship that was practically miniscule in comparison to their own. From the size, it seemed more like it was an escape vessel than a proper ship of its own, barely able to comfortably one or two people.

"Why'd you stop, girl?" Conner asked his comrade as Guy turned his attention to the alien screens.

"That ship is sending an SOS," Guy explained, reading the screen. "Ship's probably broke down…Or it could be a trap to get us to let our guard down and rob us. Both are pretty high in this area. So what do you want to do, kid?"

Conner glanced at the windows to see there was not even a glimpse of another ship nearby. If they left them, how long would it before another ship entered this area, if they entered the area? Even with New Genesis on the line, Conner knew there was no other choice but the obvious one.

"Let's help them."

Guy waited a beat before admitting, "I was going to do that anyway. But good to know we're on the same page."

* * *

After managing to drag the ship inside their vessel, the duo had found it was much worse off than they had originally thought. Laser blasts littered the surface of the ship and fuel was leaking like a faucet. It was plain to see to anyone that this ship had been in a tough fight.

"You should probably go first," Guy said to Conner, pushing the younger man forward. "Last thing we need is them freaking out because they saw my ring."

Conner shook his head at the man before ripping the doors clean off and stepping inside. If he thought the outside was bad, the inside looked like it'd had been put through a grinder. Loose wires hung everywhere, and the thick scent of blood wafted into his nostrils as soon as he entered.

"Hello," he said. He suddenly realized the futility of speaking English to inhabitants that probably wouldn't understand him. "We got your SOS." Scanning the area with his infra-red vision, he managed to find a single heat signature within the entire his ship.

Making his way to the controls, he found the owner of the vessel passed out. A tall, golden skinned woman with perhaps the longest hair Conner had ever seen on a person, her red hair reaching her ankles, wearing what could only be kindly called purple straps covering up her decency.

More noticeable than that was the red gash on her side, slowly causing her to bleed out.

And once again, Conner was very grateful for the information that Cadmus spoon-fed him. While he was invulnerable, his comrades were not and he was always very thankful for the medical information they had deemed important enough to impart onto him. After taking the injured woman to the medical wing of the ship as gently as possible, he managed to patch her up as best he could with the supplies they had at hand.

Guy had managed to narrow down her race to Tamaranean, a race native to the star system. But that was sadly all that the ring had to offer on the girl. There was no form of id that he could translate. She didn't have anything like a wallet or a bag. Wherever she had come from, she had come in a panic.

Their so far easy going trip had changed to alternating shifts of watching the girl. The last thing they needed was for her to freak out and panic in their absence.

It was on Conner's second shift when she finally stirred. She revealed a pair of solid green eyes lacking any kind of iris that with a pang, reminded Conner of the girl he left at home. Pushing it aside, he grabbed the pitcher of water that they had left on the dresser beside her bed and poured her a glass.

"You alright?" he asked, handing it over. She cocked her head in confusion and he remembered that once again, there wasn't much of a chance that she would understand him. She looked herself over and poked and prodded her bandages, wincing in pain as she tapped her wound. She held the glass of water away from her like a bomb.

She narrowed her eyes before brushing her hand against his. Conner felt something…like a strange tingle down his spine as he felt something being taken from him. Not quite like M'gann's touch. But it was similar. He ripped his hand away from her instinctively.

"W-Where am I?" she asked, her voice was creaking from disuse but speaking in perfect in English.

Brushing aside the strange talent, Conner told her. "You're on our ship. We got your SOS."

New life seemed to enter the woman as her bright red hair suddenly lit into flames, jolting the kryptonian out of his chair and smacking hard against the floor. While he got his bearings, the strange woman took a few shaky breathes before breaking into a smile from ear to ear, tears now streaming down her face. "I-I'm free," she uttered in disbelief. "By X'Hal, I'm free!"

* * *

End Chapter.

Not my best. But I really wanted to get to Kori badly.

Koriand'r's finally here. The space arc should wrap up within the next two-three chapters. And Conner will finally be able to be back home.


	9. Koriand'r II

Sorry for the wait, been busy with real life.

The World Is Still Beautiful

Chapter Nine: Koriand'r Part II

* * *

"The prisoner has escaped!"

Koriand'r cursed as the alarms started to sound as she blasted her warden into eternal silence. With his last words, the escape she had planned for weeks was now compromised.

She had thought that nothing could have been worse than being her sister's slave and been utterly grateful to finally have an opportunity to escape her sister's wrath. But the harsh experimentation at the hands of the Psions, who captured her, had made Komand'r's cruel hand seem like a gentle touch.

Shocking her, cutting her, torturing her in the sterile white lab they called a ship were just some of the innumerable acts that they inflicted upon her. They had found her an interesting curiosity, as they tried to learn in fact how much energy a Tamaranean could take.

They didn't know their tests accidentally gave her the weapon she needed to finally break free. Their experiments had granted her the ability to release energy from her hands.

She had spent weeks memorizing the ship's layout for her planned escape.

And she knew in just moments the reptilian like aliens would swarm her and lock her up tighter and she would never-

No!

Giving herself a slap for courage, she reassured herself. She was Princess Koriand'r of Tamaran, daughter of Luand'r and Myand'r.

She would not be anyone's slave ever again!

As the door opened, she let out a volley of energy towards those unfortunate to be on the other side. The sharp violet1 blasts that now came to her as easily as breathing mowed down much of her competition cut through the air with a screeching sound. The accidental weapon that her enemy gave her through their sick tests would be their undoing.

Her hair now a lit with flame characteristic of her people, Koriand'r flew faster than she had ever flown before, as she sped past their fallen bodies, through the maze of hallways that made the Psion ship. She had to get to the escape hatches.

Koriand'r blasted every single thing throughout the ship as their defences fired upon her, spreading multiple fires through the area, damaging as much of the ship as she could. She was hit multiple times but the surge of adrenaline protected her from feeling their effects.

There were a mob of Psions standing between her and final destination. But another blast of screeching violet mowed them down just as easily as the first. Releasing one last blast behind her, Koriand'r made her way into the ship and blasted away, while the flaming ship quickly became a distant blip.

After a few minutes, the adrenaline finally left her body and the Tamaranean was overcome with pain. Looking down she noticed a sharp gash on her side that must have occurred through the skirmish. A wave of weakness suddenly overcame her and she collapsed into her seat.

With her last bit of strength Koriand'r turned on the emergency signal and autopilot and slumped into her as she drifted aimlessly through space. As she slipped into a soothing darkness, she thought to herself, at least she wouldn't die a slave.

* * *

She awoke to a sharp pain in her side, her head splitting and the past few hours a blank. She was in a vividly red room that she did not recognize. The Psions were a race who abhorred color so she could at least exclude them.

Before she could get her bearings a glass of water was shoved in her face from a pale skinned alien she had never seen before spoke. Years as a slave taught her better than to take offerings of food and drink so while she took the glass, she did not take a sip.

Instinctively with her free hand, she brushed his skin, thanking X'Hal for her species ability to learn languages through contact. And felt her head nearly split open as hundreds of languages suddenly appeared in her head. Normally when she copied a language the member would have one or two languages but she could feel thousands enter her head.

The headache she was nursing intensified tenfold.

""W-Where am I?" She said in the language her mind recognized as English

The pale faced alien leaned in concern obvious on his face. The princess briefly wondered how long has it been since she saw that emotion directed towards her. "You're on our ship. We got your SOS."

All her prayers were answered.

"I-I'm free," she said joyfully as tears started to stream down her face. Her hair burst into flame, surprising the pale alien into slipping out of his chair. ""By X'Hal, I'm free!"

* * *

She soon learned there were only two men on the ship along with their pet, a large beast known as Wolf that she met quickly and another known as Sphere that took a while to encounter. The pale faced aliens identifying themselves as Earthlings dressed her wounds and gave her food and drink. The younger of the two seemingly noticing her apprehension tested her drink and food in front of her until she felt comfortable to try it on her own. Only when she did, did she realize how thirsty she was, finishing the pitcher in front of within minutes.

After she had settled in, the elder of the two who had shown up, a green lantern of all things finally asked, "What's your name?"

"Koriand'r,"

"Well, nice to meet you," the green lantern said brightly taking a seat beside the other one. "I'm Guy Gardner and this one is Superboy." The younger one waved slightly. "Want to tell us what were you doing out there?"

It would be an easy thing to lie.

But Tamaraneans were an honest race to their bone-the perversion known as her sister notwithstanding It was why so many races of the Vega system wanted to invade them. To revel in the tears that was so clear in the face of her people. And so when Koriand'r opened her mouth, everything spilled out beginning with her parents that sold her freedom to the Citadel to end the war that ravaged her people.

The years long torture at the hands of her sister Komand'r.

The experiments of the Psions that gave new powers and her final escape.

By the time she was done, the already pale aliens had lost whatever color they still had. The Green Lantern was shaking in his chair with rage. "I'm starting to get why the Guardians left this place to the dogs. Screw this system."

The younger one—Superboy placed a hand on hers. "What's important is you're free now. You have the right to follow your own path. You can do whatever you need to do. The choice is yours. So what do you want to do?"

It'd had been a long time since anyone had ever cared asked her that. "Can I get back to you on that?" she asked honestly.

He gave a small smile. "Take all the time you want."

* * *

Superboy had given her a change of clothes to change into. Pieces of fabric that he called a T-Shirt and jeans.

It had been a long time since Koriand'r had been allowed to rest and relax in a comfortable bed. Her sister would often keep her on her feet for hours simply to see how long it would take for her legs to give out while she was bored. So she had spent most of her time on this ship sleeping over the next few days while she healed—luckily her healing would prevent scars. But Guy and Superboy would often be around during meal times to keep her busy until they reached their destination.

New Genesis.

Koriand'r was unfortunately unaware of the planets outside her own system. So she could not give them any information on the planet when they asked.

It was her third day when they finally arrived to their destination. Guy used his ring to make her a wheelchair and guide her to the bridge. "Just thought you might want to stretch your legs a bit." He told her.

In front of them were a set of twin planets. One was a bright, sky blue and a harsh crimson one. Koriand'r sent a quizzical expression to the two.

"Man, I wonder which one is which," Guy said sarcastically.

"The other one is Apokalips." Superboy told her helpfully as he noticed her curiosity. "I met someone from there once….We did not get along." The creatures known as Sphere and Wolf that often surrounded Superboy beeped and growled respectively in response to the name. Whatever this incident was, it was not a pleasant one.

"Yeah, so let's just do our best to avoid that pile of nightmares," Guy said with a grimace.

Despite the shadow of the dark planet looming over them, a large smile appeared on Superboy's face. It was the first time Koriand'r had had ever seen it. Getting only peaks of it really there.

She had to admit it was really nice to see.

"We're finally here," he whispered. "We're finally reached New Genesis."

* * *

End

Note: To keep Koriand'r and M'gann separate. Changed Koriand'r star bolts to the comic canon purple. Rather than the teen titans animated green.


End file.
